Cigarette lighter



Dec. Z7, 1966 s. H. NEWMAN 3,295,024

CIGARETTE LIGHTER Filed May 25, 1964 INVENTOR .svn/5y H. ,veu/MAA! ATTORNEYS United States Patent Cee 3,295,024 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 3,295,024 CIGARETTE LIGHTER Stanley H. Newman, Schwartz & Frohlich, 19 E. 70th St., New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed May 25, 1964, Ser. No. 369,913 9 Claims. (Cl. 317-86) for the conventional flint and sparking wheel combination which is found in most commercial cigarette lighters. An example of the common spark wheel and ilint arrangement is shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,743,597, issued May l, 1956, to Newman. Examples of the efforts of the prior art to eliminate the spark wheel and ilint include; batteries which heat a glow coil so that the wick of the lighter may be ignited (as shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,963,345, issued June 19, 1934, to Zwilling); the use of catalytic means to cause the fuel to ignite (as shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,052,111, issued August 25, 1936, to Reilly).

Still others have attempted to eliminate the wick and fuel supply |as well as the spark wheel and flint and have used glow coils which are electrically heated to light cirgarettes (as shown in U.S. Patent No. 1,728,292, issued September 17, 1929, to Lavick).

All of the prior art attempts to eliminate the spark wheel and int arrangement have not been commercially successful as far as it is known.

These prior art attempts to eliminate the liiut and spark wheel yall have shortcomings. For example, those requiring batteries for electrical power are not only bulky but the batteries must be frequently replaced. Devices using catalysts do not react quickly and, in addition, carbon residue may coat the catalytic material causing it to be even more ineffective.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide acigarette lighter construction which eliminates the conventional `spar-k wheel and int. It is a further object to provide a cigarette lighter structure whereby quick, sure and easy ignition of the gaseous fuel is obtained.

Still `another object of the present invention is to provide electrical means of `spark generation which does not require the necessity of a battery or other elec-tric power storalge means.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following Idescription and drawings which illustrate embodiments of the present invention. Although preferred embodiments are depicted in the drawings and described in the specification, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention and not a deiinition of the limit of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the specification the generic term piezoelectric element is used. Among the Well known and commercially available piezoelectric element materials are Rochelle salt, barium titanates, lead metaniobates and a combination of lead zirconate and lead titanate.

In order to -appreciate the present invention the nature of the piezoelectric effect should be understood. Piezoelectricity is the generation of electric change in a substance :by a mechanical stress. A -discussion of the piezoelectric effec-t is found in the Encyclopedia Britannica under the title Piezoelectricity by Hans Jatfee.

In the present invention, to insure positive ignition of the gaseous fuel by the spark Agenerated by the piezoelectric element, an improved valve and burner construction may advantageously be used. It has been found that a mixture of air and gaseous fuel wherein the gas (such -as butane) comprises about 2 to 10 percent of the mixture is readily ignited by a spark.

In order to eliminate the problems of the prior art the present invention provides an arrangement whereby a piezoelectric element is used in cooperation with an improved valve `structure to permit gaseous fuel to be ignited without the necessity of a spark wheel Aand int.

In the drawings:

FIGURE` l is `a perspective view of a cigarette lighter in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a broken, central vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the lighter of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a broken, top plan sectional view, on an enlarged scale, ot the lighter of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is la ibroken, `front vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale, -of the lighter of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 5 is -a schematic view lof 'a toggle arrangement for creating electrical stress in the piezoelectric element; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the burner valve and air-gas mixer shown in FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, and to FIGURES 1 and 2 in particular, a `cigarette lighter 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown. The lighter 10 has an outer casing 12 in which a `fuel compartment 14 is contained. In this fuel compartment 14 liquied gas is stored under pressure. 'Ihe usual gas stored in such compartments for use in cigarette lighters is butane.

In the .present embodiment the gas compartment 14 is shown as a disposable tank similar to that found in U.S. Patent No. 2,943,471, issued July 5, 1960, to Newman. It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to such a disposable tank but may also include a lxed storage compartment with an outside iller valve such as shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,743,597, issued May l, 1956, to Newman.

Mounted -on the gas compartment 14 is a valve 16 and burner 118 combination of the well known lift or plunger type. Such 'a construction is also shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,743,597, issued M-ay l, 1956, to Newman.

As also shown in FIGURE 6, the valve 16 controls the amount of gas which is permitted to flow through the burner 18. In the burner 18 a through axial bore 17 is found. This bore 17 is open to the atmosphere and also communicates with the valve 16. It is through the bore 17 that gas escapes to the atmosphere.

As shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 in particular, irnmediately above the burner 18 an air-gas mixer 20 is provided. The air-gas mixer 20 also has a through bore 22 and the bore 22 has a flared opening 24 at its lower end. Intermediate of the through bore 22 side ports 26 are provided. AThe side ports 26 are open to the atmosphere through an annular opening 28 in the upper portion of the mixer 20.

Mounted in the upper portion of the casing 12 is the head mechanism 27 for activating the gas valve 16 and furnishing the necessary spark to ignite the gas from the burner 18. The head mechanism 27 has an outer shell casing 29 with a top flange opening O and an inner mounting frame 33 for the various components of the mechanism.

To obtain a flow of gas through the burner 18 the valve 16 is opened by means of a valve lifter 30 which is pivoted at point 32 and activated by a pressure iinger- ..9 piece 34. When the rear portion of the pressure fingerpiece 34 is depressed the valve lifter 3i), which has 4a bifurcated end 31 adjacent to the burner 13, pivots about point 32 causing the upper end of the burner 18 to be raised, opening the valve 16 and allowing gas to escape from the compartment 14, through the valve 16 and then from the burner 18. The pressure of the rush of gas into the air-gas mixer 20 causes air to be sucked in through the ared opening 24. This air-gas mixture is properly mixed as it approaches the top opening 23 in the mixer 2t) and some of the `air-gas mixture tiows out through the side ports 26 and upwardly towards the opening 28.

When the rear portion of the finger-piece 34 is fully depressed the valve lifter 30 has raised the burner 18 to a mating position with the liared opening 24 of the mixer 20, thus sealing off the ow of air through the opening 24. The initial mixture of gas and air through the top openings 23 and 28 of the mixer 20 contains only about 10 percent or less of gas. This is due to the accumulation of air in the through bore 22 and the iiow of air through the flared opening 24. This initial ow of air-gas mixture, particularly through the opening 28, is ignited by means of a spark which is generated by a piezoelectric spark generating mechanism 36.

The piezoelectric spark generating mechanism 36 in :the illustrated embodiment of FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 is comprised of a piezoelectric element 38 which is held in `a seat support of a suitable material such as metal with insulation 39 protecting the element. The seat support 40 is comprised of a U-shaped member 41 which is fixedly mounted on a fixed position pivot shaft 42 and a back-up insulation piece 43. Also mounted on the pivot 42 is a cam 44. In addition, the pressure fingerpiece 34 is also mounted on the pivot 42. However, contrary to the fixed condition of the seat support 40 and the element 38, the cam 44 and the finger-piece 34 are free to rotate about the pivot shaft 42. When the fingerpiece 34 is depressed in the direction of the arrow 46 the cam 44 which is connected to the linger-piece is caused to rotate and bear against a pressure pad 48 so that mechanical pressure is applied to the piezoelectric element 38. As the mechanical energy of the rotating action of cam 44 is brought to bear against the pad 48 electrical stress is generated in the piezoelectric element 38. When there is sufiicient build up of electrical stress a voltage discharge takes place from the element 38. This discharge is led from the element 38 by means of an insulated lead or electrode 50.

Mounted adjacent to the top opening 23 in the air mixer 20 is a xed and grounded electrode 52. The electrodes 50 and 52 form a spark gap 54. In actual operation the voltage generated in the piezoelectric element by the mechanical energy of the cam and pressure pad becomes suiiicient for `a spark discharge at the gap 54 approximately at the same time that the proper air-gas mixture is fiowing from the opening 23 in the air-gas mixer 20.

This spark ignition at the gap 54 is sufficient to cause the gas which iiows through the burner 18 to be ignited and the gas will continue to flow through the burner as long as the finger-piece is depressed. However, when pressure is relieved on the finger-piece a return spring 56 urges it back to its normal at rest position and shuts off the flow of gas through the valve 16.

If desired electrodes may be attached to opposite poles of the piezoelectric element and both electrodes in that case are insulated but positioned to form the spark gap.

In FIGURE a schematic view of a toggle arrangement for creating the mechanical pressure is shown. Basically the arrangement of FIGURE 5 comprises a lever 57 which has a small cam S8 pivoted at one end thereof. The piezoelectric element 38a is mounted in a suitable seat 40a with a pressure pad 48a at one end thereof. One end of the seat 40a is attached to a pivot 6i) on which is mounted one arm 62 of a toggle arrangement. Another arm 64 of the toggle is connected at 63 to the other end of lever 62 and also to the pressure pad 48a at 65. The piezoelectric element 38a, the seat 49a and the pressure pad 48a comprise the third arm of the toggle arrangement. When the lever 57 is depressed the toggle arrangement exerts mechanical pressure on the element 38a causing electrical stress and the resulting spark discharge at the spark gap as described previously in the specification.

Other means of applying mechanical energy to the piezoelectrical elements and coordinating the timing with the flow of gas and air will be obvious to those skilled inthe art.

It is to be further understood that the present invention is not limited to a valve structure of the lift or plunger type as illustrated herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other means of gas iiow control are available. However, those skilled in the art will also recognize that, as far as it is known, the present invention is the first disclosure of a piezoelectric element used in conjunction with a gas valve to provide ignition for gaseous fuel in a cigarette lighter. In view of the broadness of this concept the following claims are appended hereto.

It is claimed:

1. A gas -fueled cigarette lighter of the type described including an enclosing casing, a fuel compartment within said casing for containing gaseous f-uel under pressure, a burner and valve combination connected to and in communication with said fuel compartment, valve opening means controlling the iiow of gaseous fuel through said burner, an air-gas ignition mixer cooperating with said burner whereby air is added to the iiow of gaseous fuel from said burner, a piezoelectric spark generating mechanism including a piezoelectric element and a spark gap, said spark gap being adjacent to said air-gas mixer, means for creating electrical stress in said piezoelectric element whereby an electrical spark is generated at the spark gap to ignite air and gaseous fuel mixture iiowing through said mixer.

2. A gas fueled cigarette lighter of the type described including an enclosing casing, a 4fuel compartment within said casing for containing gaseous fuel under pressure, a burner and valve combination connected to an in communication with said fuel compartment, said burner having a gas escape opening therethrough, valve opening means controlling the flow of gaseous fuel through said burner, an air-gas ignition mixer cooperating with said burner whereby air is added to the flow of gaseous fuel from said burner, a piezoelectric spark generating mechanism including a piezoelectric element and a spark gap formed by a pair of electrodes, at least one of said electrodes connected to the piezoelectric element, means for creating electrical stress in said piezoelectric element whereby an electrical spark is generated at the spark gap to ignite air and gaseous fuel iiowing through said mixer.

3. A gas fueled cigarette lighter as defined in claim 2 wherein one electrode is grounded and one electrode is connected to the piezoelectric element.

4. A gas fueled cigarette lighter of the type described including an enclosing casing, a fuel compartment within said casing for containing gaseous fuel under pressure, a burner and valve combination connected to and in communication with said Ifuel compartment, said burner having a gas escape opening therethrough, an air-gas ignition mixer cooperating with said burner whereby air is added to the fiow of gaseous `fuel from said burner, a piezoelectric spark generating mechanism including a piezoelectric element and a spark gap formed by a pair of electrodes, at least one of said electrodes connected to the piezoelectric element, means for opening said valve controlling the flow of gaseous fuel through the burner and the mixer and also creating electrical stress in said piezoelectric element whereby an electrical spark is generated at the spark gap to ignite air and gaseous fuel flowing through said mixer.

5. A gas `fuel cigarette lighter as dened in claim 4 wherein one electrode is grounded and one electrode connected to the piezoelectric element.

6. In a gas fueled cigarette lighter of the type described including an enclosing casing, a fuel compartment within said casing for containing gaseous fuel under pressure and a burner with a gas escape opening and valve combination connected to and in communication with said fuel compartment, an air-gas ignition mixer cooperating with said burner whereby air is 'added to the ow of gaseous fuel from said burner, an improved gas ignition spark generating system comprising a piezoelectric element, a pair of electrodes, one of said electrodes electrically connected to said piezoelectric element, said electrodes forming a spark gap with said gap adjacent to an air and gas escape opening in -the mixer, means for creating electrical stress within said piezoelectric element to create a gas ignition spark at the spark gap.

7. In a gas fueled cigarette lighter as defined in claim 6, the improved gas ignition spark generating system therein wherein the means for creating electrical stress within said piezoelectric element includes a seat for one end of said element, a pressure pad against the opposite end of said element, a toggle lever connected to said pressure pad and lever means to activate said toggle lever whereby mechanical energy is applied to the piezoelectric element to create electrical stress therein.

3. In a gas fueled cigarette lighter as defined in claim 6, the improved gas ignition spark generating system therein wherein the means for creating electrical stress within said piezoelectric element includes a seat for one end of :said element, a pressure pad against the opposite end of said element, a cam adjacent to said pressure pad and lever means to urge said cam against the pressure pad whereby mechanical energy is applied to the piezoelectric element to create electrical stress therein.

9. In a gas fueled cigarette lighter as defined in claim 6 wherein one electrode is grounded and the other electrode is electrically connected to the piezoelectric element.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,515,172 11/1924 Ronstrom 158-110 2,206,552 7/1940 Nagel 15S-117.5 2,330,190 9/1943 Beckett 15S-117.5 2,515,158 7/1950 Turpin et al 158-110 2,649,488 8/ 1953 Harkness 123-148 2,959,159 11/1960 McCrory et al 123--7 3,082,333 3/1963 Huiferd et al rS10- 8.3 3,167,687 1/1965 Buitkus 317-83 3,200,295 8/1965 Owens et al. 317-83 3,211,949 10/1965 Slaymaker et al. 315-55 FOREIGN PATENTS 606,498 10/ 1960 Canada. 1,164,141 2/1964 Germany.

RICHARD M. WOOD, Primary Examiner.

V. Y. MAYEWSKY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GAS FUELED CIGARETTE LIGHTER OF THE TYPE DESCRIBED INCLUDING AN ENCLOSING CASING, A FUEL COMPARTMENT WITHIN SAID CASING FOR CONTAINING GASEOUS FUEL UNDER PRESSURE, A BURNER AND VALVE COMBINATION CONNECTED TO AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID FUEL COMPARTMENT, VALVE OPENING MEANS CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF GASEOUS FUEL THROUGH SAID BURNER, AN AIR-GAS IGNITION MIXER COOPERATING WITH SAID BURNER WHEREBY AIR IS ADDED TO THE FLOW OF GASEOUS FUEL FROM SAID BURNER, A PIEZOELECTRIC SPARK GENERATING MECHANISM INCLUDING A PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT AND A SPARK GAP, SAID SPARK GAP BEING ADJACENT TO SAID AIR-GAS MIXER, MEANS FOR CREATING ELECTRICAL STRESS IN SAID PIEZOELECTRIC ELEMENT WHEREBY AN ELECTRICAL SPARK IS GENERATED AT THE SPARK GAP TO IGNITE AIR AND GASEOUS FUEL MIXTURE FLOWING THROUGH SAID MIXER. 